For centuries, Russians have celebrated Maslenitsa by gorging themselves on pancakes and knocking back industrial-sized quantities of vodka. So the weeklong festival marking Orthodox believers' last chance to eat dairy products before Lent might not seem like the best time to promote physical fitness and sportsmanship. Nonetheless, the Moscow city government has decided that pancakes and sports are a match made in heaven. From Monday to Feb. 22, the city will host the world's first-ever Olympic Maslenitsa Town on Vasilyevsky Spusk, the stretch of land between St. Basil's Cathedral and the Moscow River, to promote Moscow's bid for the 2012 Olympics.

"This year, Maslenitsa will have an athletic character," declared Tatyana Kokoryova, a public relations manager for the upcoming festival. Asked what sports have to do with a holiday best known for gluttony and debauchery, Kokoryova pointed out that Russians once celebrated Maslenitsa by sledding, fistfighting, riding in troikas and climbing poles.

In keeping with tradition at Monday's opening ceremonies, Olympic athletes will light a Maslenitsa flame -- in a giant frying pan, of course. The flame will burn for seven days overlooking the Olympic Maslenitsa Town, where visitors can eat pancakes, listen to music and watch traditional Punch-and-Judy shows.

The highlight of the show will come on Thursday, when Moscow will attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by building the world's tallest stack of pancakes. The organizers hope to build a stack 15 meters high, promising that "famous politicians" will be involved in the effort. After the greasy heap of pancakes has been measured and immortalized by Guinness, it will be eaten by children from Moscow orphanages.

This is the third year in a row that the Moscow city government has sponsored a public celebration of Maslenitsa. According to Kokoryova, over 2 million people visited Maslenitsa Town in 2003. But for many Russians, Maslenitsa is a private holiday best celebrated with friends. Orthodox believers take the opportunity to squeeze in some socializing -- and some calories -- before the 40-day fast of Lent.

Yet many Maslenitsa traditions date back to pagan Russia, when the early Slavs held a similar holiday to mark the end of winter. Even back then, pancakes magically ushered in the spring; fried up on the pan, they symbolized the sun, while their ingredients -- grain, flour and eggs -- represented fertility.

Pagan roots can also be detected in today's tradition of forcing newlyweds to kiss (to promote fertility) and burning a scarecrow (to bring the winter down in flames). The Orthodox Church has never quite approved of these pagan traditions. Instead, church doctrine states that the week of Maslenitsa should be used to prepare oneself mentally for Lent.

Many Russians take a different approach altogether -- back in the mid-17th century, the Englishman Samuel Collins, court doctor to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, observed that 20 to 30 Muscovites drank themselves to death each Maslenitsa. "During Butter-week, before the Great Lent, Russians give themselves over to all sorts of amusements and unbridled excesses," he wrote. "They drink as if they were fated to drink for the last time in their lives."

Reining in the unruly holiday has proved a chore; Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich tried to ban fistfights, games of chance, and, curiously, swinging on swings. Peter the Great loved Maslenitsa -- in 1722, he celebrated it with a mock naval procession, standing on the deck of the largest ship as horses pulled it through the streets of Moscow. The Soviets tolerated Maslenitsa, but they renamed it the Send-Off of Russian Winter, to eliminate any religious connotations.

With Mayor Yury Luzhkov and the Moscow City Hall taking a new approach to Maslenitsa, the golden hue of this year's pancakes may conceal the glint of an Olympic medal.

Well, I don't know yet... quite possibly, you never know with them crazy Russians. Last year we did almost have a fist fight at the Blini party we went too... thankfully it was averted as the towtruck driver saw the error of his ways (he wanted to tow cars parked on the road that wasn't cleared very well after a snow storm) after being confronted with 5 angry (and rather inebraited) Russians and 2 angry Persians.

When we lived in Moscow we used to sit on the Church steps and eat blini that we bought at the nearby "Teremok" kiosk. The little sparrows that nested around the Church were so tame they would come up and take pieces of blini right out your hands.

"The Englishman Samuel Collins, court doctor to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, observed that 20 to 30 Muscovites drank themselves to death each Maslenitsa. "During Butter-week, before the Great Lent, Russians give themselves over to all sorts of amusements and unbridled excesses," he wrote. "They drink as if they were fated to drink for the last time in their lives."

I love this - it kills me. But I think I might start calling this week "butter week" -- I like that too.

Is this the same English doctor to the Tsar's family that later converted to Orthodoxy? Or was that an English tutor?

Title: Re:Pancake Party
Post by: The young fogey on February 16, 2004, 04:44:42 PM

Quote

Is this the same English doctor to the Tsar's family that later converted to Orthodoxy? Or was that an English tutor?

Different person. I think you're thinking of Sidney Gibbs, the tutor for Tsar Nicholas II's children, who escaped the Communists, made it back to England and ended up a Russian Orthodox priest and monk (Fr Nicholas?).

ambrose, I copied that quote from Orthodoc's post above... it looks like it's from the Moscow Times and was talking about a 17th century English doctor living in Moscow. The English tutor to Tsar Nicholas II and family is a fascinating story -- i bought the book from conciliar press and read it - called "An Englishman in the Court of the Tsar" about Charles (later Father Nicholas) Gibbes, by Christine Benagh.

Blini are pancakes, but they differ from the typical American flapjack. They are much thinner and taste way better. They are usually served with some filling, anything from caviar or fish to fruit and other sweet stuff. I prefer the sweet ones myself.

As for those Russians who drink themselves to death during Maslenitsa: I almost did that during one of my first few nights in Moscow. I made the classic American mistake: I tried to keep up with a veteran Russian drinker.

Linus, LOL, never compete with a Russian, and if you do, best thing to do is drink a 1/2 glass of water per shot of vodka.

I made my first attempt at blini last night, and I just wanna say, they were AWESOME (patting self on back). Only had to call mom twice for advice.Best blini filling combos:Sourcream, red caviar, chives, hardboiled eggs, rolled up, w/ melted butter poured over.or if you like sweet ones:Sourcream, sugar, and chunks of dark chocolate, rolled up, w/ melted butter poured over (this one you stick in the microwave for about 30 to 45 seconds to melt the chocolate & sourcream together).Yummmmmmm... we had both. Generally back home we ate them breakfast lunch & dinner, nothing else, the first one for main course, the second for desert, for the entire week.